Courtyard House: In this life, I have a new home!

Qin Huairu was also in the first batch and finished in fifteen minutes. For a delicate woman, that speed was quite impressive.

"Great, really great."

Factory Director Yang said excitedly, "Out of fifty people, only eight failed. This is an excellent result."

Li Weidong said seriously, "We need to cultivate this kind of atmosphere—everyone can ask a master craftsman for advice. If you're not willing to teach diligently, someone else will be. Over time, everyone will know who isn't teaching properly. The old rules from the old society, which allowed master craftsmen to teach only when they wanted to and not teach when they didn't want to, are no longer relevant."

"Especially the idea of ​​'teaching the apprentice to starve the master'."

"The factory places the master-apprentice relationship on an unparalleled level, especially among workers like Yi Zhonghai."

These words made Yi Zhonghai's expression change, but he couldn't refute them. The facts were undeniable.

In the workshop, this apprenticeship system, to put it bluntly, just binds people together to work, making them as inseparable as an iron barrel. These people, when they get together, are capable of all sorts of despicable things; frankly, they're a bunch of scourges. Liu Weidong showed no mercy in his words.

"You all know how many people in the first workshop have been killed by these people."

"The leader of this group is Yi Zhonghai, that's obvious. No one else in the factory can do anything but talk to him, Yi Zhonghai, and only then will those apprentices listen to them."

"Those people acted as bad guys, while Yi Zhonghai pretended to be a good guy, and he made a mess of the entire first workshop."

"Look at those apprentices, how long will it take them to become permanent employees? The root of the problem lies with you, Yi Zhonghai! Your character is utterly despicable."

Liu Weidong's words grew harsher with each sentence, like hammer blows hitting Yi Zhonghai's forehead, making him see stars and his head buzz.

"Alright, let's get on with it."

Liu Weidong waved his hand.

Yi Zhonghai was so angry he almost vomited blood. He slunk back to his workstation and buried himself in his work, trying to avoid seeing Liu Weidong's annoyance. Liu Weidong had thoroughly humiliated him.

Yi Zhonghai's sanctimonious facade was also exposed in public.

Yan Jiefang and Liu Guangtian were overjoyed. Their current salary is 27.5 yuan, and they'll get a promotion before the New Year, which should be no problem, to 32.5 yuan.

Qin Huairu's face was flushed, and she was smiling broadly, making Sha Zhu almost drool.

Qin Huairu's salary increased to thirty-six yuan and fifty cents, nine yuan of which was a subsidy given by the government because of Jia Dongxu's accident.

"Thirty-six yuan and fifty cents, at least the children's lives will be a little easier."

Qin Huairu thought to herself.

Sha Zhu was in the second batch. He stood in front of the worktable, holding tools in his hand, but none of them seemed as handy as the wok and frying pan.

Sure enough, Sha Zhu struggled for half an hour but still couldn't get the workpiece out. This time, out of fifty people, seven were unqualified, and Meng Jianjun was among them.

Meng Jianjun's face turned green. He had been working quite well this morning, so why was he suddenly unable to do it?

"Give me another chance, let me try again, I'm sure I can do it."

Meng Jianjun shouted at the top of his lungs. "That's nine yuan!"

Back in my hometown, when I was farming and earning work points, I could never save up nine yuan in a year.

"Stop messing around. If you keep causing trouble, I'll take you to the security office."

"A man from the security department said coldly to Meng Jianjun."

Upon hearing this, Meng Jianjun immediately became obedient. Although he had only been working at the factory for a few days, he knew that the security department was not a good place.

Factory Director Yang and Li Huaide were laughing so hard their eyes were almost closed.

Judging from the number of people who passed, the two of them are going to set a record this time. This is a real achievement, and they'll have to write a report and submit it as soon as the exam is over.

Just then, Secretary Zhang arrived on his newly bought bicycle. Li Weidong greeted him with a smile.

"How is it? Are you satisfied with it?"

Secretary Zhang said with a smile, "Old Jiang, the deputy head of the security department, made a personal trip."

Li Weidong raised an eyebrow: "Alright, I won't stay here any longer. I'll install the engine and head straight to the testing location this afternoon."

Secretary Zhang nodded: "Going so early? That's fine."

Back in his lab, Li Weidong deftly secured the engine to the frame. Glancing at the time, it was just past 11 a.m., so he hopped on his bike and headed out.

I waited at the gate for less than ten minutes before Jin Da and Jin Er arrived on their bikes. The engine sputtered and emitted black smoke; there was some oil mixed in with it, but there was nothing I could do about it.

"Let's go, I'll take you to complete the property transfer. The police station is right next door."

Li Weidong greeted the two of them.

The two men stared at Li Weidong's new car, their eyes practically bulging out of their sockets.

Jin Er clicked his tongue and said, "Hey, another one installed. This engine is from your factory, right? No wonder it's so easy to use."

The security guard quickly came over to flatter him: "This is what Chief Engineer Li came up with. If he wants to show off, it's just a matter of a word."

Jin Da suddenly realized: "No wonder!"

His face was still covered in bruises, though the swelling had gone down considerably. Just like Sha Zhu, neither of them seemed to care at all.

Li Weidong led them to a restaurant diagonally across the street and ordered four dishes.

"You guys drink the alcohol yourselves, I won't touch it. I have things to do this afternoon."

As Li Weidong spoke, he ordered them a bottle of Erguotou (a type of Chinese liquor).

On the table were a plate of peanuts, a plate of fermented bean curd, a bowl of braised pork, and half a roast chicken.

This meal was considered quite lavish for that time.

"Then you won't be polite."

Kim Er picked up the bottle and poured a glass for Kim Dae-man first.

Li Weidong casually asked, "You said you saw the deaf old lady, when and where?"

Jin Er thought for a moment and said, "It must be her, there's no mistake. It happened thirty years ago, when we were only fourteen or fifteen years old."

Jin Da picked up the thread: "I saw her in Fengtian. At that time, the old lady was no more than forty years old, wearing a Manchukuo military uniform—no, it was the uniform of a puppet army. We ran to watch the excitement near the execution ground."

Kim Il-sung also realized what was happening: "Right, we killed more than twenty anti-Japanese fighters that day. That old lady was an enemy agent!"

"That's right, she was accompanied by several Japanese soldiers at the time."

Jin Daseng stood up abruptly.

Kim I frowned: "But there's no evidence."

Li Weidong sneered: "Only thirty years have passed. There must still be some of the people who were watching the spectacle that day who are still alive."

"What specific day?"

Kim Dae-jin and Kim Il-sung said in unison, "The Mid-Autumn Festival will be here in a few days."

"Okay, I'll report it to my superiors right away."

Li Weidong stood up. "Keep this to yourselves, or you'll be in trouble. Once the case is closed, you'll get your share of the benefits."

"No problem, we're happy to testify in court."

Li Weidong waved his hand: "You two continue drinking. You absolutely cannot let Yumei know about this. If word gets out and something goes wrong, you two won't be able to handle it."

"Don't worry, I'm not that close to her, she won't tell anyone."

Jin Da quickly patted his chest and assured him, "How about this, you can just lock us up and release us after the case is solved."

Li Weidong thought for a moment and nodded, "That's fine. Pack your things, bring some food and drinks, and I'll take you to the factory's security office."

He paused, then asked, "Should we tell our family?"

"No need."

Jin Da looked smug. "It's common for my brother and I to go out to meet friends and not come home for ten days or half a month."

"Your wife and children must be suffering a lot."

Li Weidong shook his head.

He led the two men outside, and Jin Er also grabbed an extra bottle of Erguotou (a type of Chinese liquor). Carrying the packaged cooked food, the three of them arrived at the factory gate.

Li Weidong said to the security guard on duty at the gate, "Go and call Director Yang, Secretary Zhang, and Director Li to the security office."

After saying that, he led the Jin brothers into the security department. Deputy Section Chief Lao Jiang was on night shift. Upon seeing Li Weidong enter, he quickly stood up with a smile: "Chief Engineer Li, is there a problem with the car?"

"I'm fine, thank you for your concern, Section Chief Jiang."

Li Weidong replied with a smile, "Find them a clean place to stay."

Old Jiang looked troubled: "This... isn't quite in accordance with the rules? They're not from our factory. Should we hand them over to the police?"

"No need, they can stay for a few days, at most a week."

Li Weidong explained, "Your task is to keep an eye on them and not let anyone talk to them."

He then instructed: "Pay my bill for all three meals a day. Make sure there's some wine and meat for dinner, get the best dishes from the canteen at noon, and buy steamed buns and soy milk outside in the morning."

"The factory manager and the others will be here soon. Everyone else, please leave. Section Chief Jiang, please wait here for a moment."

Upon hearing this, Old Jiang didn't ask any more questions and turned to lead the Jin brothers into the inner room. The two sat down and started drinking as soon as they entered.

When Factory Director Yang and his two colleagues received the news, they were completely baffled, wondering what Li Weidong was up to. Upon seeing him, Factory Director Yang couldn't help but smile and say, "Chief Engineer Li, our factory has really made a name for itself this time. Out of 330 people who participated in the assessment, less than 50 failed."

"As expected. A first-class fitter, anyone with hands can do it."

Li Weidong casually replied, then his expression turned serious. "I have something urgent to report to the higher-ups immediately. I'm just letting you know first."

Li Weidong recounted the whole incident from beginning to end, adding at the end, "I'm convinced that the deaf old lady is most likely a spy planted by the Japanese. The last time someone shot me, it must have been related to her. She's so close to Yi Zhonghai and Sha Zhu, we absolutely can't let them know about this."

After listening, Factory Director Yang pondered for a moment: "Hmm, now that you mention it, it does indeed relate to our steel rolling mill. Chief Engineer Li, why don't you make a call—"

Li Weidong understood the implication perfectly, and waved his hand with a smile: "It's most appropriate for Director Yang to report. I have other things to attend to."

Factory Director Yang smiled and instructed, "Then Chief Engineer Li should be careful, or else—"

"Don't worry, I brought my weapons."

Li Weidong patted his waist. "Oh right, those two shouldn't be shortchanged on food and drink. I was in a rush today and didn't bring much cash. I'll go again tomorrow morning—"

Li Huaide immediately straightened his face and interrupted, "This expense is on the factory's tab. How can you expect me to pay for it out of my own pocket? That's against the rules. Don't worry about it. I'll have the canteen prepare three meals a day and deliver them. No, I'll have Section Chief Jiang send someone to pick them up."

"OK."

Li Weidong nodded, turned around and took his leave.

In the past two days, Li Weidong has carefully examined the workpieces made by Yi Zhonghai and has a clear understanding of the situation—this man has indeed reached the threshold of the eighth-level craftsman, but he has only just stepped into it.

There's a huge difference between two level-eight workers. It's like an exam: 60 points is passing, and 100 points is also passing, but the difference is significant.